Pappardelle with Wild Boar

La storia di questo piatto

Pappardelle al cinghiale belongs to Tuscany, to the Maremma and the hills around Siena, and its wide ribbons of pasta are already named in the sixteenth century by Domenico Romoli and later by Artusi. It is the wild wood of the Maremma, patiently softened into a sauce that tastes of Sangiovese, juniper and rosemary.

Ingredienti

• 800 g Boneless wild boar, cut into pieces
• 400 g Fresh egg pappardelle
• 400 ml Full-bodied red wine (Sangiovese)
• 400 g Tomato passata
• 1 piece Large onion
• 2 piece Medium carrot
• 2 piece Celery (stalks)
• 2 clove Garlic
• 6 piece Juniper berries
• 2 sprig Fresh rosemary
• 2 leaf Bay leaf
• 1 piece Cloves
• 5 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
• 8 g Fine salt (for the ragù)
• 20 g Coarse salt (for the pasta water)
• 1 teaspoon Ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Red wine vinegar (optional)
• 60 g Grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Preparazione

1. Come on, let's start with the marinade, the soul of this dish: put the wild boar in a large bowl with half the red wine (200 ml), the juniper berries lightly crushed, the bay leaf, the clove, a sprig of rosemary and 1 crushed garlic clove. Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, up to 24: the meat loses its overly gamey taste, becomes tender and takes on the scent of forest and wine. Juniper berries and cloves are a variation accepted by tradition, aromas that change from family to family.
2. Drain the wild boar, reserving the marinade liquid, and remove the bay leaf, juniper and clove (you will use them again later). Dry the pieces well with paper towels: if they remain wet they won't brown, they'll just simmer, and we want the Maillard reaction, that dark crust that tastes of roast. If the pieces are larger than 2-3 cm, cut them smaller. In a wide pan heat the oil over high heat and brown the meat in batches, without salting and without overcrowding the pan, until every side is well darkened and the pieces release easily from the bottom: 6-8 minutes per batch. Remove the meat and set it aside, but do not wash the pan.
3. In the same pan, where all the flavor is, lower the heat to medium and add the finely chopped onion, carrot and celery with 1 g of salt (layered salting starts here: it draws out moisture and sweetens the vegetables). Sauté, stirring often, for 8-10 minutes, scraping the dark bottom well with the wooden spoon. Only in the last 2 minutes add 1 chopped garlic clove: when you smell the sweet, golden aroma rising, it's right; if it darkens it turns bitter, so be careful.
4. Return the wild boar to the pan, raise the heat and deglaze with the remaining 200 ml of red wine: let the alcohol evaporate and the sharp aroma become mellow, 2-3 minutes. Pour in the tomato passata and the strained marinade liquid, add the recovered bay leaf, juniper and clove, 1 sprig of rosemary, 5 g of salt (of the 8 g total for the ragù) and the pepper. Partially cover and lower to the lowest heat: it should barely simmer, a slow bubbling, not a boil.
5. Let the ragù cook over the lowest heat, partially covered, for 3 hours, stirring occasionally and adding a ladle of hot water only if it dries out too much (little by little, so as not to dilute the sauce). Halfway through cooking add the second sprig of rosemary, which will release its resinous aroma slowly. The meat is ready when it falls apart at the gentle touch of a fork: at the end of cooking shred and break it up with two forks directly in the sauce, so it becomes a true ragù that coats the pappardelle. The sauce should coat the spoon, dense and dark like forest earth.
6. When the ragù is ready, taste it: if it seems a bit flat, it's not always the salt, often it's acidity that's missing. A teaspoon of red wine vinegar (optional) at the end of cooking wakes everything up without being noticeable. Adjust the salt with the remaining 2 g only if needed, then remove the bay leaf, clove, juniper and rosemary: they have given their fragrance, and now they are no longer needed at the table.
7. Bring plenty of water to a boil with coarse salt and cook the fresh pappardelle for 2-3 minutes, until they rise to the surface and are still springy to the bite: fresh pasta doesn't want a timer, it wants a good eye. Drain, reserving a ladle of cooking water, then transfer the pappardelle directly into the pan with the ragù.
8. Toss over medium heat for one minute, stirring gently and adding a splash of cooking water if needed to bind: the pappardelle should shine, coated in the sauce, not drowning in it. Plate immediately, finish with a generous grating of Parmigiano Reggiano and bring to the table steaming. Before serving, taste again and adjust salt and pepper: the final word always belongs to the cook.